February flowers

  

Silver Bush Lupine (Lupinus chamissonis), 28 February 2022

Out and about

  

A quick shot of a Mylitta Crescent butterfly (Phyciodes mylitta) photographed on Bodega Head on 25 February 2022.  It seems a little early to be seeing this species on the coast, but the sun must be warming things up enough during the day.

Gradient

 

 

Looking west from Petaluma at sunset, 26 February 2022

Frost art?

 

 

It was chilly here this morning — solid ice in the bird bath.  Santa Rosa set a cold temperature record for the date (24 February 2022) of 26°F (-3°C).

 

When I walked out to the car to go to work, I noticed this unusual frost pattern of dots surrounded by circles.  

 

Here's a closer view:

 

 

 

Interesting to see that both components, the center and the rim, were made up of clusters of rectangular crystals.  

 

Here's another even closer view:

 

 

 

Fun!

 

Snipe!

  

I was still thinking about the Wilson's Snipe and wishing I could get better photos of them.  So this morning Eric and I went back and had two more tries taking pictures from the car during pauses in traffic.  I'm glad we went back as I learned a few things about snipe.

In the past I've mostly encountered snipe when they flush from a wetland and disappear, so I haven't spent much time actually watching them.

This morning they were actively feeding, probing deeply in the mud.  I read later that while their diet is diverse, they feed primarily on larval insects, especially flies and beetles.

 

 

 

Their cryptic camouflage is very effective among wetland vegetation, but a few individuals were resting on the open mud:

 

 

 

 

Snipe have short tails, but their tail feathers have a beautiful russet color that's often visible if you're looking for it:

 

 

 

 

A few times I saw them cock their tails up and off to the side, possibly a display (maybe territorial, or another possibility would be signalling awareness of a possible predator or threat; in this case, me):

 

 

 Another feature that's quite prominent is their very large eyes:

 

 

 

The eyes are also set far back on their head which allows them to see what's happening behind them (or above them when their head is down).  The photo below shows a snipe from behind, but notice how you can still see the eyes on either side of the head, which means the snipe can also see you (or a predator, like a harrier) from this angle:

 

 

 

Wilson's Snipe are winter visitors to Sonoma County.  They'll depart by ~mid-April, migrating north to wetlands (e.g., sedge bogs, fens, and alder swamps) for the breeding season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

P.S.  Okay, if you're still with me, I can't help show one more photo.  The path to learn more about snipe displays led me to Sutton's 1981 paper "On aerial and ground displays of the world's snipes" in the Wilson Bulletin.  It's a really fun paper to read.  Here's the photo that led him to write the paper — a Wilson's Snipe displaying in Michigan, photographed by Betty Cottrille.  I hadn't known their displays were so dramatic!

Near the top

  

As I was doing chores around the house today, I kept hearing an accipiter calling — kek, kek, kek, kek, kek, kek, kek.  It was only calling occasionally (or rarely), with long pauses in between, but every time I heard it I tried to locate the bird.  After several attempts, I finally found it perched near the top of a tall redwood tree just down the street.  It was pretty high up there, so this is one of the best photos I took.  [You can click on the image for a larger view.]

I'm not totally sure about the identification.  I'm leaning towards a Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperi), perhaps a small male, but if you have thoughts about the i.d., let me know.

I like thinking about them sitting up there, among the redwood branches high above the town, surveying what's going on down below.

Among the rushes

  

We've been seeing a small group of Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata) feeding in a wet area near the side of the road on our way to work.  Unfortunately, it's a road where it would be dangerous to stop.  But this morning, with Eric driving, and making sure no one was behind us, we slowed down and I took a few quick shots from the car.  

I really love the colors and patterning of snipe, so here are a couple of images, including some of the rushes and the surrounding wetland habitat:

 

 

Sundown

  

Sunset and clouds off Bodega Head, 18 February 2022

Over the mountain

 

 

Driving home tonight, it was nice to see the full moon appearing over Sonoma Mountain.  View from Cotati on 16 February 2022.

Orange in winter

  

I haven't been able to take many pictures lately, so this is a version of "Today in NHBH History" — a photo of an Allen's Hummingbird (Selasphorus sasin) in the Bodega Dunes from 15 February 2018.

First signs

 

 

The first signs of spring upwelling today (14 February 2022) — breezy northwest winds!